A RE-AIM Analysis of a Mental Health App for Undergraduate and Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the implementation of a mental health app designed for undergraduate and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants: Medical (n = 270) and undergraduate students (n = 1386) from five universities in the Appalachian region in the United States participated in this study. Methods: Universities from the United States were recruited to deploy the Sharpen app for medical and undergraduate students. The Sharpen app provided psychoeducational modules in mental health literacy, social-emotional learning, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and suicide prevention to promote protective factors for students. The utilization of the Sharpen app was analyzed using the RE-AIM framework using a retrospective, cross-sectional design. Results: Reach: A total of 12.72% of medical students and 6.00% of undergraduate students participated in the study. Efficacy: Medical students viewed significantly more pages, had a significantly higher unique page view average, and a statistically significant exit percentage when compared to undergraduate students. Adoption: A total of 100% of the universities that were recruited participated in the study. Implementation: Five out of six implementation criteria were included, indicating high implementation. Maintenance: All of the universities continued using the Sharpen app following the end of data collection, resulting in a 100% maintenance rate. Conclusions: The RE-AIM framework indicated usability and maintenance by medical and undergraduate students. Future research needs to implement a more rigorous design to determine the impact of the Sharpen app on mental health outcomes in medical and undergraduate students.